The Passage

“It had never occurred to her that God would cry, but of course that was wrong. God would be crying all the time. He would cry and cry and never stop.” I'm so amazingly overwhelmed. I've read so many stories in just one book, beautiful stories of hope and love and horror. This was beautifully written, a great start for my reading year. I want to jump into the next books in the trilogy, but I feel like I need to give my heart a little break before crushing it again. If I had to describe The Passage in one word it would be bittersweet.

** spoiler alert ** I loved this book, but it's totally my kind of plonk sci-fi thing (world war z also comes to mind). It's got that Jurassic Park kind of plausible science, vampires that aren't vampires and enough creepy bits to have kept me awake a few nights listening to my house settle and hoping it wasn't a big toothy one of the "twelve" coming to chew me up.

Never have I torn through a book with such speed! I feel guilty. This book is wonderful, a sweeping saga of survival amidst a dark world where psychic vampires live. Vampires! Justin Cronin has put a new twist on the vampire saga, trying and succeeding in grounding their origin in science: a virus found in Bolivia turns its host into glowing creatures that have strange dreams of drinking blood, a virus originally meant to be a cure to all diseases, or maybe a weapon. Of course, the military is involved, and a savior girl who has overcome the virus becomes the enigmatic main character. This is an amazingly plotted novel, with characters that truly leap off the page. I personally quite enjoyed the structure of the novel, third person chapters focusing on different characters, and occasional diary entries and emails. The world building is terrific. Reminds me of "Station Eleven" at times, with its vision of the post apocalyptic world, and also of the writings of Stephen King; but man is this novel beautifully handled. I was HOOKED.

This was a huge & heavy book and I think I must have done some serious wrist-damage while reading this in bed (I'm a light-weight when it comes to books). While I found the story generally compelling, this book felt totally jarring at the midpoint and it took me a while to get back in the groove. To my friend who said it was like a cross between Steven King's The Stand & The Road - yes! I do love a good post-apocalyptic story, but I don't think I'll continue reading the rest of the series. I should point out that the ending was fairly satisfying for a "to be continued" story.

The first half of the book was entrancing, following the main characters and seeing how everyone intertwined was a vivid reading experience. However when the crossover/ main plot twist happened the story became dull, the characters I connected to in the first half all seemed to be fairy dust and it took an astonishing long time for them to connect the dots again. Overall this book was decent for me, not the greatest, not the worst. I would of loved the pace to stay the same the whole way through. If that was the case I would of read this in a week rather than taking 3 months.

3.5

I really liked this book though it got a bit draggy and confused me in some parts. Otherwise I loved the storyline and the characters... A definite must read. Book ended with so many questions unanswered. Honestly can't wait to pick up the second installation of the trilogy. I really want to know what happens to Peter and Amy.

I liked the beginning of the book but when it turned to some time in the future I had difficulties reading through it. It became quite boring. Oh, there happened a lot but at the same time nothing meaningful really happend. Not my cuppa tea.

You can find this review and more at Novel Notions. The Passage has been on my TBR list for years, but for some reason has always been pushed to the side in favor of something newer and shinier. Which is strange, because it contains a lot of elements that I really enjoy, or at least enjoy reading about, like vampires and the world spiraling into a dystopian apocalypse. Better late than never, I suppose. Once I finally picked this up, I was engrossed. Before she became the Girl from Nowhere—the One Who Walked In, the First and Last and Only, who lived a thousand years—she was just a little girl in Iowa, named Amy. Amy Harper Bellafonte. The story begins with the birth of one of our protagonists, Amy. Despite her mother’s best intentions and efforts, Amy gets a rough start in life. However, as the world begins to spiral into madness, Amy makes two very good friends who would do anything to protect her. Because unbeknownst to world, Amy might be the only person who can save it. The world was a world of dreaming souls who could not die. Something I found incredibly interesting about this book is the fact that it honestly felt like a self-contained trilogy, even though it’s only the first book of an actual trilogy. The second part of this book takes place nearly ninety years after the events that wreck the United States and lead to the few survivors having no idea what has happened in the rest of the world. We are introduced to a community of people who are the offspring of children shipped out of large cities by train, to save them from the horrors approaching their homes. This community believes that they are likely all that’s left of the world. Their problem is that the batteries that power the lights, lights which burn all night every night to keep the monsters away, are beginning to fail. Without the lights, they are doomed. While trying to find an answer to this battery problem, our new cast of characters suddenly see something they thought was impossible: a Walker, someone from outside their walls who is still alive and unchanged. In the Walker’s wake, the community is forever changed. A baby wasn’t an idea, as love was an idea. A baby was a fact. It was a being with a mind and a nature, and you could feel about it any way you liked, but a baby wouldn’t care. Just by existing, it demanded that you believe in a future: the future it would crawl in, walk in, live in. A baby was a piece of time; it was a promise you made that the world made back to you. A baby was the oldest deal there was, to go on living. There were quite a few characters from this community that I really enjoyed. Theo, a fledgling leader growing into his roll. Auntie, the only person still alive who remembers the Time Before. Sara, a nurse with a bruised heart and most courage then she thought. Michael, the tech on whose shoulders the battery problem lays, and whose intelligence is through the roof. Alicia, a warrior unlike any woman her world has ever seen. But my favorite is Peter, Theo’s brother who finds himself questioning his place and part in his community. Peter’s character development was honestly incredible. His personality reminded me a bit of Nick from Stephen King’s The Stand, which for me is pretty high praise. Peter goes from a boy who tries to fade into the background without disappointing anyone, to a brave and thoughtful leader. I really enjoyed watching him grow. Such a simple thing to want. To be a person; to live a human life. I felt that this particular apocalypse was fairly original. The government wants a super soldier serum, but ends up turning their death-row guinea pigs into freaky vampire things. When these vamps find a way to basically take over the world, everything spirals into chaos. The mind control and broadcasted dreams and hive mind mentality were all very interesting and different additions to this vampire apocalypse that I thought were well handled. Courage is easy, when the alternative is getting killed. It’s hope that’s hard. I only had two problems with this book, and they were both fairly minor. First, over the nearly 800 pages there were multiple instances were the narrative dragged, and I would find myself inadvertently skimming and having to go back and reread sections. I think the book could have been tightened up and shortened by about 100 pages, which would have made the story stronger. Also, there were quite a few plot twists that ended up feeling too convenient, which is strange to say about a dystopian novel. There were too many miraculous saves. What strange places our lives can carry us to, what dark passages. The Passage was a very enjoyable first installment of a trilogy that I definitely intend to continue. It was action-packed and original, and I found myself thinking about it even when I wasn’t reading. I can’t help comparing it to other novels I’ve read in this genre. The Passage felt like a mix of The Stand and The Girl with All the Gifts, but less literary and with vamps instead of zombies. I would highly recommend this book to any fan of dystopian fiction.

Proper review to come. Just wanted to say I read this one when it came out and I couldn't remember a thing about it, so it was like reading a new book from scratch. :p

A good read for doing loft work and moving house. By that I mean that I was able to tune out and tune back in without really missing too much. Enjoyable but forgettable.

I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to reading the next two in the trilogy. I like how the “thing that’s coming” has a new spin on a theme that’s already explored in other books. The spin makes it quite unique. Can’t say much else about that without too many spoilers. The main characters are really well developed and it makes you care for each one of them. None of the characters are safe and you learn that quite early on. It makes it more suspenseful. However with all that, it’s too long. 766 pages is a bit too much for me.

I loved this book. It was slow going at first, but as I got into I really enjoyed it. Several reviews I read complained about the slowness of the middle section, but I thoroughly enjoyed the exploration of the community that developed as a result of the man-made apocalypse. Looking forward to continuing the journey with these characters.

Wasn't my cup of tea. Especially the violence, gore and sexual themes.

I liked this book but it is long and I think some of the scenes could have been condensed or omitted altogether. I especially enjoyed the strong female characters

After reading some of the other reviews, I feel compelled to write a little more thoroughly. I found THE PASSAGE to be a compelling literary thriller, throwing the various parts of the human soul into sharp relief - the strong and weak, the generous and selfish, the good and bad, and all the grey areas in between. I do not think this book is for the literary-faint-of-heart. The book begins in a familiar, modern world: according to many reviews, this is an engaging and lovely piece of story telling. I agree. The characters are easily accessible, the world is unchallenging as it is familiar. Very quickly, this "easy" section ends, and the narration fast forwards to an unfamiliar, unsettling future, shaped by the events. As a reader, you are thrust into a new world, stark and on the edge of survival. Yes, it is disconcerting. The warmth and familiarity of our world is gone. Life and death mean something different. It takes work to access. Is it worth the challenge? Absolutely. The characters grow on their journey. Sometimes there are flashbacks but I never found them tiresome: I enjoyed seeing how these people came to be themselves, the events that shaped them. I found the "time jumping" indicative of how memory works. Sometimes you don't remember an event all at once, or realize it's importance right away. I loved the story itself, and found that Cronin handled it quite well. This is very much a character driven novel in the middle - time slows down there and the plot does not move as quickly. Is it worth it to slow down, and trust where Cronin is leading? I think so. I listened to the audio book -- really enjoyed the narration.

Apocalyptic, addictive albeit appreciably anti-climactic. Will be reading the second instalment. Enjoyed this one.

Felt just a little long at times, but overall such a fun, modern, creative take on the vampire genre. Kept the brooding atmosphere that really makes vampire novels great, while focusing more on characters than the creatures. Like what Whitehead did for zombies in "Zone One." Very good and looking forward to reading the others in the series.

Desde Enero de 2011, que lo vi en una librería, quise leerlo. Al fin llegó el día y hoy lo estoy reseñando. No soy una ávida lectora del género fantástico y paranormal, pero éste libro me cautivó desde el comienzo. El Dr. Lear decide investigar y encontrar una cura para todo mal que aflija a la humanidad. La comunidad científica no parece creer que ésto sea posible, pero el Ejército de los Estados Unidos sí. El financiamiento militar llega y comienza a gestarse el Proyecto Noé. Pero aunque Lear no lo sospeche, no todo es lo que parece. Alguien tiene intenciones ocultas. La prosa de Justin Cronin es impecable. Las palabras fluyen de una manera tan natural a través de las páginas que te invitan a leer sin parar. Por más que algunos huyan aterrorizados al ver la extensión del libro, está justificado. Hay muchísimas descripciones sobre situaciones o hechos cotidianos a la vez que se desarrolla la trama paranormal. En eso radica mi amor a éste libro. En mi opinión, un gran error de los autores de libros que tratan sobre hechos sobrenaturales es que se centran tanto en ellos que se olvidan de describir las cosas más nimias, por lo que terminan siendo inverosímiles. Éste no es el caso. Todo sucede con naturalidad, sin forzar absolutamente nada. Los personajes están construidos perfectamente. Llegamos a conocer a cada uno de ellos de manera muy profunda. Tanta información sobre ellos y su vida pasada tenemos que, durante la lectura, me encontré pensando varias veces en cómo reaccionarían tras determinada situación, qué sentimientos y secretos ocultan. Otro punto a favor lo da la manera de narrar ésta historia que eligió Cronin. La gran mayoría lo ocupa un narrador en tercera persona omnisciente. Me sentí feliz, después de tantas lecturas en las que me encontraba con narradores en primera persona, y como un bonus, insoportables. Además, es muy rico en texturas literarias. Varios capítulos son fragmentos de un diario de determinado personaje o algún documento que fue ahora encontrado por nuevos habitantes, aproximadamente 1000 años después de los experimentos. En la anteúltima parte del relato, todo se pone demasiado agitado, turbio. No pude soltar el libro, me quedé hasta las 4 a.m. leyéndolo y no me defraudó: mis personajes favoritos tuvieron un buen final, algunos volvieron a aparecer y los destinos de ellos quedaron un tanto ambiguos. Ésto me hace querer leer el tomo siguiente de la saga, Los Doce, ya mismo. Una saga distinta, para descansar de tanta saga juvenil que anda dando vueltas. Por más que sea una novela post-apocalíptica no cae en los clichés del género. Sobre todo, es muy recomendable.

This is a review of the abridged audio version. I was excited to find The Passage on CD. So excited that I listened to the whole thing before I realized this is an abridged version. Then I decided the abridged version is a good thing. The Passage is my kind of horror story: a virus, super secret experiments, things going horribly awry. I love dystopias but had seen the word "vampire" attached to this book, so I was skeptical. To my relief, there are no magnetic, brooding men in capes. Some may call the infected people "vampires," but the virals are inhuman, wild, and very, very scary. That's more like it. If you've been waiting to read The Passage because it's just too thick, the abridged audio version is the way to go. The story is told in 14 hours, compared to 36 unabridged. The whole story is there, just streamlined. When The Passage first came out, I attempted to listen to the unabridged version, but I didn't get past section one. Although I was surprised to find this was an abridged version, I think the abridgment helped by moving the plot along. I'm curious about the pieces I missed, but I don't feel like I lost anything vital. I'm ready for book two coming out in summer, 2012! Reading: Edward Herrmann does a great job reading. I know him as Lorelei's father from Gilmore Girls, but this doesn't distract from his reading. Instead, his voice lends solemnity and authority to the story. Final thoughts: The Passage lives up to the hype. It's an exciting outbreak story with a unique and chilling threat. The abridged audio version keeps the plot moving while maintaining character detail.

Starts well, goes a bit mad, gets weirder and then weirder. And that's just the first 200 pages. Gripping at first, but loses its way badly. The writing isn't up to much either. Will not be reading any sequels (and seriously, it's 700+ pages, why do you need a continuation sequel!)